Portable table bowling game



P 1961 v. w LITWINCZUK 2,999,689

PORTABLE TABLE BOWLING GAME Filed July 24, 1959 all/11 1115 Q INVENTOR VILTd/Q W. l-lTly/ugzafl Mada/1 ORNEYS United States Patent 2,999,689 PORTABLE TABLE BOWLING GAME Victor W. Litwinczuk, Hull, Quebec, Canada Mr.

Massy Baker, 464 Springfield Road, Rockcllife, Ot-

tawa 2, Ontario, Canada) Filed July 24, 1959, Ser. No. 829,245 Claims priority, application Canada Feb. 27, 1959 3 Claims. (Cl. 273-39) My invention relates to a portable table bowling game which is particularly adapted for use in private homes, boys clubs, girls clubs and other like places and in which the game retains many of the highlights and the required skills which are found necessary in normal bowling alley play.

While my invention may be played by young people such as teen agers, it is not restricted to the use of such age group but may be played with enjoyment by others.

I am aware that table games involving the use of balls and pins have been made heretofore, and in these games the balls are usually projected onto the playing deck either manually or by means of spring actuated plungers, but the skill required to play such games is not of a high level, and a great element of luck enters into the game.

I recognized that to hold the interest of players considerable scope for the skill of each individual player is required, and to provide for this interest it was necessary to interpose after the initial projection of the ball, cer tain hazards which had to be negotiated before the player actually assumed control or charge of the ball just prior to, or at the delivery of the ball on to the playing deck of the table.

To incorporate the above challenging features into the game, and to test the skill of the player, I have found it necessary to attain certain objects which I have found beneficial to the enjoyment afforded in the playing of my improved table bowling game.

One of the objects of my invention is to construct a portable bowling table with an associated runway on which the balls are manually and individually projected, this runway being located above and mainly to the side of the playing deck of the table, with hazards provided in the runway, thus requiring a controlled initial predetermined velocity being imparted to the ball to negotiate the hazards before the delivery of the ball to the playing deck of the table.

Another object of my invention is to construct a portable bowling table with associated runway or track above and mainly to the side of the deck of the table, with only a portion of the delivery end of the runway or track being located directly above the deck of the table and disposed so that it is below the line of vision of the player, thus giving to the player an unimpeded line of vision of the table when guiding the ball on to the deck of the table.

A further object of my invention is to construct a bowling table and make provision for the player assuming personal directional control or guidance of the ball as it reaches the playing deck of the table, thereby testing the skill of the player in the projection of the ball towards a selective pin or pins.

Another object still of my invention is to construct a bowling table and make provision for the return of the balls to the front of the table after being played, so that the balls will be in readiness for the player continuing playing the game.

A further object still of my invention is to construct a portable bowling, table and associated superposed runway or track, so arranged and disposed that after the ball is initially projected or delivered to the runway or track, the direction of travel of the ball is changed a number of ire times before the ball is projected on to the playing deck of the table.

Another object still of my invention is to provide a drawer or other similar container beneath the deck of the table to stow the pins and balls when they are not 1n use.

Still a further object of my invention is to construct a portable bowling table having all the characteristics of a normal bowling alley, with additional hazards in the path of the balls when they are in play, the game however having its scoring patterned on the principal rules in vogue in normal bowling alleys.

Other objects of my invention will be made clear as the specification develops.

So that the nature of my invention will be clearly understood, I have illustrated one embodiment of the same which I shall describe in detail, but I wish it to be understood that I do not restrict the construction of my portable bowling table to the specific description given herein, but reserve the right to modify the construction of my portable game within the scope of my appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of my improved portable bowling table game showing the nature and location of the hazard in the path of the runway or track on which the balls are projected, and over which the balls must travel before reaching the playing deck of the table.

FlGURE 2 is a transverse section of the runway or track on the lines 2-2 of FIGURE 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Like characters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings A represents my portable bowling table comprising a playing deck It) which is substantially rectangular in shape throughout its length, and formed with an open front end 9, while the rear end overlies a semi circular well 11 which is bounded by a semi circular wall 12, the ends of which merge into lateral walls 13 extending along the sides of the deck 10.

The marginal lateral edges of the deck 10' adjacent the lateral walls 13 are formed with marginal gutters 14 which extend the Whole length of the deck, and the rear ends of the gutters open into the well 11. The semi circular wall 12 forms a back stop for the balls which pass from the playing deck into the well.

On the playing deck 10 adjacent its rear end, a diagram 14a is imprinted or provided, on which the pins 15 are positioned when playing the game.

Beneath the deck 10 and to one side thereof, I provide a channel 17, the rear end of which registers with the orifice 16 in the floor of the well 11, and the other end of the channel 17 extends beyond the front of the deck 10 and is closed, as is shown at 18.

Intermediate of the length of the deck 10' a drawer 19 is located which slides between the oppositely disposed parallel angle members 20 which are secured to the under face of the deck 10, and the drawer 19 is subdivided into two compartments 21 and 22 to hold the pins and balls with which the game is played.

An arcuate portion 23 of the front end of the deck 10 is undercut forming the major part of a disc-like recess, and in this recess a disc 24 is mounted and secured to the deck by a pivot pin 25. This disc is'provided with a handle 26 which projects beyond the open end of the deck 10, so that the disc may be oscillated in a horizontal plane by a player of the game, as will be explained hereafter.

On the side of the deck 10 remote from the channel 17 a pair of standards 27 and 28 are rigidly positioned, and these standards extend slightly below the bottom of the deck 10 to constitute feet. The standard 27 is pro.-

vided with a pair of slots 29 and 30, formed in offset portions of said standard, the former being located slightly above the mid point of height of the standard, and the slot 30 is located adjacent to and slightly below the top of the standard.

A portion 3 1 of a two piece runway or track has its front end overhanging and supported by the top of the standard 28 to which the track is attached in any suitable manner, and this runway or track is angularly disposed downwardly towards the standard 27.

The portion which may be approximately one half of the first portion 31 of the runway or track, is looped in a form of approximately one and a half vertically disposed circular convolutions 32 and 33-, and the convolution 33 extends into the slot 29 through the offset inlet opening 36 on the standard 27. All of the slots are formed with offset inlet openings to facilitate positioning the tracks within the slots. One of these inlet openings is clearly shown at 36 on the standard 27.

The central axis of the convolutions 32 and 33 is horizontally disposed. The discharge end 34 of the convolution 33 overhangs and is supported by the upper end of the standard 27 to which it is attached by any suitable means.

It will be noted that the slots 29 and 30 are not in alignment, but are in parallelism although they are widely spaced apart in a vertical direction, and the arrangement of these slots allows the second portion 37 of the track or runway to clear the convolutions 33 of the loop on the first portion 31 of the track.

The rear end of the runway or track 37 passes through the slot 30 in the standard 27, and the runway or track is inclined downwardly and passes through a slot 38 in the front standard 28.

After passing through the slot 38, the runway or track is looped as shown at 39, this looping consisting of approximately one and a half convolutions 41 and 42 of a circle.

The central axis of these convolutions is approximately vertical and these convolutions spiral downwardly and are somewhat angularly disposed but are not parallel with each other.

The discharge end 43 of the second portion 37 of the runway or track extends from the convolution 4-2, and this discharge end is approximately horizontal and rests on and is attached to the disc 24, so that as the disc is manually oscillated, the discharge end 43 of the runway or track is also oscillated. The track 37 is slightly flexible to permit of this oscillating movement being made.

The convolutions 41 and 42 and the discharge end 43 constitute approximately one half of the total length of the second portion of the runway or track 37.

The point of the discharge end 43 of the track 37 coincides with a semi circular marking 44 on the deck 10, and the deck is supported by feet 45 and 46 of unequal depth, so that the deck is slightly inclined longitudinally of its length, and the floor of the well 11 is slightly inclined towards the orifice 16.

When the game is being played, the pins 15 are set up in the diagram 14, either as a nine-pin game or for playing five pins, and this is at the choice of the player.

There are three balls'B, and the first player takes the first ball and rests it on the front end of the track or runway 31 and pushes the ball forwardly on the track to impart a force to the ball that will cause it to loop the convolutions 32 and 33, but if this force is insufficient to accomplish this looping, then the ball falls and rolls into the well, and passes through the orifice 16 into the channel 17 and is delivered to the front end of the deck.

If however the force imparted to the ball is sufiicient to cause the ball to loop the convolutions 32 and 33, then the ball will fall from the overhanging end 34 of the convolution 33 and drop on to'the upper end of the track or runway 37.

The ball then passes through the groove 38 and rolls around the convolutions 4-1 and 42 and is discharged from the end 43 of the track.

The player is at this instant gripping the handle 26 and oscillating the disc 24 so that the discharge end 43 of the track 37 is brought into alignment with a selected pin and the path of the ball B is therefore guided on to its target. If the player is successful, he may make a strike.

If however the player does not make a strike but leaves one or more of the pins standing, then the player may continue the game by using the second ball in an endeavour to make a spare, and should be fail to do this it may be necessary *to use the third ball. The scoring is very similar to that used in ordinary bowling games.

It will be appreciated that the providing of the first loop hazard on the portion 31 of the track calls for judgement on the part of the player, since as stated above, if the propelling force is not strong enough on the ball, then the ball will not negotiate the hazard, necessitating the use of another ball. If the force is too strong, the ball B will be projected from the end 34 of the hazard at too great a speed and will not negotiate or drop on the second portion 37 of the runway or track.

The safe negotiating of the loop in the first portion 31 of the track or runway is only accomplished by the player getting the proper propelling force on the ball B when projecting it along the track 31.

When the first player has played, then the second player takes his turn in the bowling. It is not necessary to describe the game further since it will be appreciated that it follows the pattern of ordinary alley bowling as far as it is possible to do so with the applicants improved indoor bowling table.

It will be appreciated that the change in direction of travel of the balls over the track or runway after they leave the hand of the player, adds considerably to the attraction and interest in the game.

From the above description it will be seen that I have invented a portable table bowling game particularly adapted for household use, the game simulating in many respects many of the most desirable points of the game played in alley bowling. There are incorporated into my portable table bowling game hazards which have to be skillfully negotiated requiring technique and concentration on the part of the player.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

I claim:

1. A table game using bowling pins and balls comprising a playing deck, a well having an orifice in the floor thereof and underlying the rear end of the deck, a wall partially surrounding the well and forming a backstop, lateral walls on the deck, a channel below the deck communicating at one end with the orifice, the other end of the channel projecting beyond the front of the deck, a diagram on the deck denoting the position of bowling pins, an elevated track formed of an upper and a lower portion arranged diagonally across each other and inclined in opposite directions, with the ball-receiving end of the upper portion of the track located adjacent the front end of the deck, and with the ball-receiving end of the lower portion of the track adjacent the rear end of the deck, the upper portion of the track having a loop located adjacent and above the rear end of the deck and formed with a discharge lip overhanging the upper end of the lower portion of the track, the lower portion of the track having a loop adjacent to and above the front end of the deck, the discharge end portion of the lower portion of the track extending over the front end of the deck, means for oscillating said discharge end portion through an arc over the front end of the deck to align the said discharge end portion with any selected bowling pin during the period the playing ball is travelling on the lower portion of the track, and means for supporting the two portions of the track above and adjacent one of the lateral walls of the deck.

2. A table game using bowling pins and balls comprising a playing deck, a well having an orifice in the floor thereof underlying the rear end of the deck, a wall partially surrounding the well and forming a backstop, lateral walls on the deck, a channel below the deck communicating at one end with the orifice in the well, the other end of the channel projecting beyond the front of the deck, a diagram on the deck denoting the normal playing positions of the bowling pins, an elevated track formed of upper and lower portions arranged diagonally across each other intermediate of their length and inclined in opposite directions, with the ball-receiving end of the upper portion of the track located adjacent the front of the deck and with the ball-receiving end of the lower portion of the track adjacent the rear end of the deck, the upper portion of the track having a loop located above the rear end of the deck and formed with a discharge lip overhanging the upper end of the lower portion of the track, the lower portion of the track having a loop intermediate of its length and adjacent the front end of the deck, the discharge end of the lower portion of the track extending 6 over the front end of the deck, a disc rotatably mounted in the front end of the deck, a handle on the disc extending beyond the open end of the deck, the lower portion of the track adjacent the discharge end being operatively connected to the disc permitting manual operation of the handle to align the discharge end of the last said track portion on any selected pin on the deck, and means common to the upper and lower track portions supporting the track from and above a lateral wall of the deck.

3. The game of claim 2 in which the loop located above the rear end of the deck is above the section adjacent the well. 1

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 738,558 Maddaus Sept. 8, 1903 1,345,009 Iermyn June 29, 1920 2,490,288 Wickersham Dec.,6, 1949 2,610,055 Goodyear Sept. 9, 195 2 FOREIGN PATENTS 476,887 Germany May 25, 1929 17,247/28 Australia Nov. 19, 1929 

